Reasonably Optimistic

The skittish inflation number that flies across headlines might feel arbitrary; in fact, it’s anything but. To arrive at that number, it takes millions of calculations into granular details such as the chemical composition of turkey meat and the flavor notes of olive oil. In this episode, John Lanchester chats with Michael Lewis about what the government counts and how tracking these things tells...

“Jeopardy!” has been on the air and wildly popular for 60 years. What makes it endure, and what does that say about American culture? Contributing columnist Amanda Ripley talks to Alexandra Petri, Drew Goins and Ryan Vogt — Post Opinions staffers who’ve been contestants on the show — about its staying power, and if “Jeopardy!” can still bring Americans together. Correction: In this episode, we mis...

The scope of the federal government is vast, and in one corner lies NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, where the search for new planets and new life continues. As part of the Post Opinions “Who is government?” series, author Dave Eggers takes a look at the lab’s latest innovations and gets to know the people who are reaching for the stars. In this special episode, Michael Lewis talks to Eggers about what...

Many economists and politicians are alarmed that Americans, like others around the world, are having fewer kids. But, apart from wanting a growing labor force, is this really a problem? Opinions columnists Shadi Hamid and Heather Long talk with Style columnist Monica Hesse about what’s really behind the baby bust and whether we just need to prepare for a lower fertility future.  Read more fro...

Did the debate cause a vibe shift? Columnists Charles Lane, Megan McArdle, Dana Milbank and Jim Geraghty discuss how much voters care about policy, whether Trump made any good points and how his false claims about pet-eating immigrants mask a genuine issue. And don't forget to check out the first two stories in our series, “Who is Government? Seven writers go in search of the essential public serv...

The evidence is in. American men are facing a crisis — in health, in education and in the labor force. But under all of that runs deeper trends — disconnection, loneliness and a lack of role models. Columnists Theodore Johnson and Shadi Hamid talk with Richard Reeves, founder of the American Institute for Boys and Men, about the dueling visions of masculinity on the political stage and a hopeful w...

As American kids head back to school, columnist Daniel Pink makes the case for paying teachers more money. High-quality teachers, he argues, significantly improve student learning, so shouldn’t they be paid as much as somebody assessing insurance premiums on your car? Plus, humor columnist Alexandra Petri discusses sending her child to school for the first time.  This essay by Daniel Pink is...

We are in Chicago, where it's Kamala Harris's party now. Columnists Dana Milbank, Jennifer Rubin, Jonathan Capehart and Jim Geraghty discuss why gender isn’t being talked about in this campaign so far, and they do the math on what percentage of the Democrats’ energy is from excitement, relief and just avoiding existential dread. Subscribe to The Washington Post here .

Pulitzer Prize winner Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was part of August’s massive prisoner exchange with Russia, sat down to talk with Post Opinions editor David Shipley about his time in jail, the importance of freedom of speech and what the future holds for Putin’s regime. Today’s show was produced by Charla Freeland. It was edited by Allison Michaels and Damir Marusic and mixed by Emma Munger. Subscr...

Tim Walz went from being a little-known Midwestern governor to Democratic vice-presidential candidate in a matter of a few weeks. But in this sprint of a campaign, nothing is moving slowly. Charles Lane, Molly Roberts and Matt Bai talk through whether Walz can keep up the momentum of the Harris campaign, if the “weird” strategy is good or bad, and how much of a unifier Walz will be for the Democra...

Airline travel is increasingly exasperating. Any blip, whether it’s a weather event or a technical problem, leads to cascading days of delays and cancellations. Why does it all seem so fragile? Charles Lane, Catherine Rampell and Marc Fisher discuss the economics of flying and how customers might be helping drive a race to the bottom.  Stay until the end to get humor columnist Alexandra Petri...

Ava Wallace, sports reporter at The Washington Post, is in France to report on the Summer Games — and eat a lot of croissants. Join her through the entire run of the games, for several episodes a week as she captures the highs, the lows and the Paris of it all, along with other Post colleagues. Follow The Sports Moment podcast on  Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify ,  Amazon Music  or&n...

After all the hand-wringing over the last month, it took only about 24 hours for Democrats to fall in line behind Vice President Harris as their new nominee. Even so, some worry she’s not the strongest candidate that could have been put forward. Our columnists discuss whether she can win, who might join her as a running mate and what it means for her chances to be a woman of color on the top of th...

After a truly wild few weeks in politics, our columnists huddle up at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. They discuss the mood on the ground in the aftermath of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, how the unity message seems to be fraying and what recent events mean for the presidential campaign – and the country – going forward. Plus, humorist Alexandra Petri...

With falling poll numbers and President Biden's public appearances doing little to reassure voters he’s still got what it takes to win, Democrats are faced with a difficult decision about how to proceed. Biden has dug in, pledging to the public that he isn’t going anywhere. Charles Lane, Karen Tumulty and Perry Bacon Jr. talk through whether Biden can salvage his campaign, how possible it really i...

It’s the week of the Fourth of July and the word patriotism is as divisive as the rest of American politics. Theodore Johnson, Karen Attiah and Jason Rezaian discuss the good and the bad about the United States, and how to reconcile its shortcomings while pushing for a better future.  Read more from some of our columnists — Ted Johnson: “ American democracy is fine. It's the republic that's i...

President Biden’s debate performance has Democrats in a panic and Donald Trump supporters gleeful. Columnists Karen Tumulty, Dana Milbank and Jim Geraghty process how things feel the morning after, whether the president should step aside and how the truth was the night’s biggest loser.  Read more from our columnists about the debate: Karen Tumulty: “ The Great Democratic Freakout is upon us ”...

Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy recommended putting a warning on social media for minors last week, while governors from coast to coast have pushed for restrictions on teen phone use. But how worried should we really be, and what is there to do about it? Post columnists Amanda Ripley, Molly Roberts and Theodore Johnson talk through the dumbphone trend, how explicit lyric warnings on CDs backfired...

It’s been a rough few years for movie theaters, and the dismal start to the summer blockbuster season hasn’t helped. If people go to theaters less often, will that change the type of movies that are made? Is the future of moviegoing a boutique, high-end experience? Matt Belloni, host of “The Town , ” joins The Post’s Alyssa Rosenberg and Chris Suellentrop to talk about what’s going on with the mov...

A quarter of Americans, most of them Republicans, say immigration is the most pressing issue facing the country. Post columnists Karen Tumulty, León Krauze and Jim Geraghty discuss why this issue is top of mind for so many people, how politics continues to thwart policy and whether Americans still see our country as a cultural melting pot. Read more from the columnists. Karen Tumulty: “ The U.S. i...

The Alitos are the latest couple to face the question: When you are married to someone in public life — a Supreme Court justice, a member of Congress, a Post Opinions columnist — what compromises do you need to make? Should you be held to the same ethical standards as your spouse? Charles Lane, Ruth Marcus and James Hohmann discuss the politics of marriage, whether the Supreme Court is more partis...

Ruth Marcus, Dana Milbank and Karen Tumulty got together to talk about their immediate reactions to Donald Trump’s guilty verdict, the quality of his defense, and why the most knowledgeable people in Washington were expecting something different.

Do we actually want AI that seems human? Chatbots are being made to act and sound like humans. That makes them easier to talk to, but there could be other consequences. As our relationships with artificial intelligence evolve, do we need to draw a brighter line between what is technology and what is us? Opinions columnists Josh Tyrangiel, Bina Venkataraman and Amanda Ripley talk about what we real...

The house, the yard and the picket fence have long been part of the American Dream. Owning a home is lauded as a way to grow your wealth and pass it down to future generations. But high demand and short supply, coupled with today’s soaring interest rates, have made home ownership out of reach for many Americans. Opinions columnist Catherine Rampell and associate editor Alexi McCammond join deputy...

As trust in institutions plummets and many people search for shared values, what is the state of American identity? This bonus "Impromptu" episode features a live discussion between Opinions columnists Shadi Hamid and Jason Willick and the hosts of "Post Reports" Martine Powers and Elahe Izadi about the importance of identity in a changing world. For more from our colleagues in the newsroom, liste...